Matilde Masetti Placci

Matilde Masetti Placci is a doctoral candidate and Affiliate Researcher at the University of Edinburgh, affiliated with Edinburgh Law School and the Centre for Critical Data Studies at the Edinburgh Futures Institute.

Her educational background includes:

• BA, Sciences Po Paris
• LLB, University College London
• LLM, University of Edinburgh

Her research spans the history of international legal thought, social theory, critical approaches to international law, global gender governance, international law and technology, and the politics of law in the Middle East with emphasis on Palestine. She investigates governance technologies of counterterrorist watchlisting and digital bordering systems through the UKRI-funded infra-legalities project, examining how legal and technological frameworks intersect in border control and security regimes.

Matilde has received significant recognition for her academic work:

• Modern Law Review Scholarship
• Vans Dunlop Scholarship (2025/2026)

As an educator, she tutored International Law Ordinary courses at Edinburgh Law School, earning two nominations for the University's Teaching Awards. She co-designed and delivered LLB/LLM modules including International Investment Arbitration and International Human Rights in the Digital Era. From 2022-2024, she coached Edinburgh's Jessup International Law Moot Court team to the octo-finals in Washington DC—their best historical performance. Her research is supported by the UKRI infra-legalities project grant.

Matilde actively contributes to the Centre for Critical Data Studies and Edinburgh Futures Institute, where she engages in interdisciplinary research on data governance, legal technologies, and the socio-technical dimensions of bordering systems through knowledge exchange initiatives and conference presentations.